Tech Talk

  9mm Bullet profiles and How to Choose

If you have been researching 9mm ammunition, you've seen that there are a lot of options. If you don't shoot a lot or are new to the caliber, choosing a round can be almost overwhelming. This guide will help you get an idea of which to choose depending on the type of shooting you're doing. Of course, the very best way to tell which will shoot best in your firearm will be by running a few different profiles through your firearm to see which produces the best results.

Generally speaking, the heavier the projectile, the less felt recoil you'll experience when you squeeze the trigger. Many manufacturers may load their ammunition differently, but a heavier bullet will shoot softer. The disadvantage to a slower, heavier bullet is that your longer shots will suffer.

Gun part tinkerers that are constantly changing out parts on their firearms are more likely to experience problems cycling the heavier projectiles because the pressure to move the slide is reduced in those loads.

Considerations:

Projectile - 90g Frangible

Why you might choose it -  This projectile is made of compressed metals and explodes into fragments on impact. It is a 100% lead-free projectile and would be a good choice for close quarters training, steel plate shooting or shoot house training. Based on it's performance in ballistic gel, some choose this for a home-defense round.

Projectile - 115g Round Nose 

Why you might choose it - Hands down this is the most commonly shot 9mm projectile. With an agreeable velocity and recoil combination, this round's profile is very forgiving on the shorter feed ramps in sub-compact pistols. This is the recommended projectile for novice shooters just getting used to a brand-new firearm.

Projectile - 124g Round Nose 

Why you might choose it - The hollow base on this projectile is designed to lengthen the bullet while maintaining the 124g weight. The longer bullet makes more contact with the rifling in your barrel, stabilizing it as it travels down range. The result is slightly tighter groups if shooting groups is your goal.

Projectile - 124g Flat Nose 

Why you might choose it - The rounded shoulder allows for a little more feed ramp forgiveness in some firearms while maintaining the flat nose for easier target scoring.

Projectile - 124g Flat Nose Competition Series 

Why you might choose it - The profile on this bullet is unique. The projectile is slightly longer than that of the regular 124g. Again, longer bullet means more stable as it travels down the barrel. The flat nose is preferred for IDPA and USPSA shooters because it punches a much cleaner hole in the target, which is easier to identify and score. The downside to the flat nose is that shorter feed ramps with rough transitions to the chamber may experience feed issues.

Projectile - 124g Target Hollow Point 

Why you might choose it - The hollow point on this bullet is more designed for flight than for defense. Similar to the hollow based projectile, the material in the bullet is removed to lengthen the bullet for more barrel contact. The difference between the material being removed in the front vs. the base. 

Projectile - 147g Round Nose 

Why you might choose it - A favorite among competitive shooters, this 147g round nose is a very reliable feeder and a lower felt recoil round.

Projectile - 147g Round Nose (Power Factor/PCC) 

Why you might choose it - This features the same round nose profile as the regular stuff, but is loaded to an ultra low velocity. This round is not intended for amateur shooters, as a weak grip will undoubtedly cause functionality issues. This is ideal for those shooting Pistol Caliber Carbine or longer-barreled (4.5"+) handguns.

Remember when testing to use the best ear protection for shooting available.

Safe Shooting!

Knowing the Difference...

Some firearms just seem to feel different when held and react differently when fired. It is normal to hear people say things like “the tolerances on my pistol are incredibly tight. It doesn’t make any noise when you shake it.” This is a description about the fitting of both handguns and long guns. However, the tolerances of the pistol was never actually described in that sentence.

If we were to talk about the tolerances of firearms, we would have to talk about the consistency of the part dimensions from lot to lot. Tolerances literally means the allowable deviation from the originally specified dimensions for a manufactured part. Anyone who has worked with technical diagrams or blueprints has most likely seen this before. For instance, when companies are producing arms for our Armed Forces, they are expected to keep the tolerances very tight in order to guarantee interchangeability of parts.

When it comes to fitting, we know that tight fitting can give a firearm a feeling of having superior build quality and better strength. In some cases, tighter fitting can lead to longer service life and a better consistency in performance. The downside is that sometimes tight fitting can result in fouling from foreign particles like dirt and sand to cause more friction, risking more malfunctions and failures to cycle properly. Looser fitting can possibly be viewed as a more reliable quality, allowing more room for fouling to build up and not cause friction. But on the other hand, loose fitting in pistols and rifles, aside from the AK-47/74, can be possibly considered to be a sign of a sloppy quality of manufacturing.

No matter what our views are between tight fitting or loose fitting in our guns, we need to know that it being tight fitting is not the same as the tolerances being tight. A custom 1911 that is hand built with parts slowly filed down until they barely fit is not based in tolerances. Know the difference, and use the terms correctly.